The Race of Champions will for the first time be held in the Middle East as organisers have announced that Saudi Arabia will host the event next year.
It will be the first international motorsport event to take place in the Kingdom, and it becomes the tenth different country to host the ROC event, which pits drivers from different disciplines against each other in head-to-head competitions.
The King Fahd International Stadium (pictured) in the nation's capital, Riyadh, will play host in early-2018 with Sela Sports and the General Sports Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia involved in hosting the event.
"Further details, driver announcements and exact dates for ROC's Saudi Arabian debut will be announced shortly, but the General Sports Authority has confirmed that Race Of Champions will be a family event, open to both genders, and feature drivers, exhibitions and activities all suitable for the Kingdom's specific cultural requirements," read a statement.
It comes during a period of change in Saudi Arabia, with a recent relaxation of rules on women driving in the country just one of many changes planned as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's 'Saudi Vision 2030', which aims to reform the country's economy and society.
Fredrik Johnsson, Race Of Champions president, added: "Our organisation is honoured to be working with the President of the General Sports Authority, his Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh, to bring Race Of Champions to the region for the first time in the event's 30-year history.
"As motorsport's most forward-thinking property, ROC is an event perfectly suited to Saudi Arabia, which is emerging as a modern sports market on the global stage. With women able to drive in Saudi Arabia from 2018, we feel this is an auspicious moment to be bringing a motorsport event to Riyadh."
The final of the Race Of Champions is still set to take place in Miami in early 2018.
Discussion about this post